Baked goods container

ABSTRACT

A baked goods container is disclosed having an upright position adapted to contain a large baked goods item, the baked goods container including a plastic base and a removable lid. The base includes a first base portion adapted to accept the lid over the base, and a second base portion or divider which removably inserts into or onto the first base portion. When the baked goods container is in the “upright” position, the first and second base portions cooperate to form the base of the container to hold one type of baked goods, such as a typical sized cake or pie. When the baked goods container is in the flipped, inverted or “upside-down” position, the first and second base portions cooperate to hold different baked goods, such as cupcakes. The second base portion or divider is adapted to separate from the first base portion and rest upon a ridge or extensions in the lid to form a two level baked goods container which holds a plurality of baked goods on multiple support surfaces.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a non-provisional application claiming priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/484,783, filed Jul. 3, 2003, entitled “Convertible Baked Goods Keeper” and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention is directed to baked goods containers and more particularly to a baked goods container having an upright position adapted to contain a baked good on a single support surface, and a flipped position adapted to hold one or more smaller baked goods on multiple support surfaces.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Containers are often used to store baked goods after cooking or purchase to preserve and/or transport the items. Typical baked goods containers often come in various sizes, include both circular and rectangular shapes, and include a single support surface and interior. Oftentimes, however, a consumer purchases or bakes a number of different items or varying sizes and shapes and finding the correct storage container can sometimes be difficult. For example, a consumer may purchase or bake a relatively large item such as a pie, along with a number of smaller items, such as muffins. In this scenario, the typical consumer would need a number of containers to store the goods, including one for the pie, and at least one for the muffins. Additionally, if the consumer purchased or baked a cake instead, the consumer would typically need another larger container to store that item as well. This may lead to some frustration on the part of the consumer as finding the right container to store a variety of goods may require a number of separate purchases of storage containers.

With the differing sizes of the containers that may be required to store various goods, a consumer may find it difficult to store the containers in a limited space. For example, a typical cake container is usually a very large product that is difficult to store and takes up a great deal of space in a storage cabinet. Additionally, the cake container purchased may not nest with and/or cooperate with a separately purchased cupcake holder, thereby increasing the amount of storage necessary. Thus, for a variety of reasons, consumers may find it sometimes difficult to justify the purchase of a cake keeper that will only have a limited usage (e.g., used only when one bakes or buys a cake), as well as a rigid storage interior (e.g. not flexible to store multiple products of varying sizes.)

Therefore, there is a continued need to improve the design of these containers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an embodiment of a round convertible baked goods container constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, wherein the container is resting on the container base in an upright configuration.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the baked goods container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the baked goods container of FIG. 1, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2, and showing an embodiment of a base panel insert and base combination.

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the baked goods container of FIG. 1, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2, and showing another embodiment of a base panel insert and base combination.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the baked goods container of FIG. 1, taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2 and showing the embodiment of the base panel insert and base combination of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 5A is top plan view of an embodiment of a base adapted for use in conjunction with the baked goods container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5B is bottom plan view of another embodiment of a base for use in conjunction with the baked goods container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan view of a handle support of the base of FIG. 5B.

FIG. 7A is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a locking handle assembled in accordance with the teaching of the present inventors and for use in conjunction with the handle support of FIG. 6.

FIG. 7B is an enlarged cross section view of a combination of handle support of FIG. 6 and the handle of FIG. 7A, showing the combination in the unlocked position.

FIG. 7C is an enlarged cross section view of a combination of handle support of FIG. 6 and the handle of FIG. 7A, showing the combination in the locked position.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken at the circumscribed portion A of FIG. 3A showing another exemplary locking handle of the baked goods container of FIG. 1; wherein the locking handle is in the locked position.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the baked goods container of FIG. 1, similar to FIG. 3A and showing the container resting on the container lid in an “upside down” configuration and showing the base insert supported by the container lid.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken about the circumscribed portion B of FIG. 9 and showing the base insert supported by the container lid.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of two of the baked goods containers of FIG. 1, wherein the two containers are stacked and nested within each other for storage.

FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of an embodiment of a rectangular baked goods container constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, wherein the container is resting on the container base in an upright configuration.

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of the baked goods container of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the baked goods container of FIG. 12, taken along lines 14-14 of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a partial cross sectional view of another embodiment of a rectangular convertible baked goods container constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, wherein the container contains a pair of container lids and a container base, adapted to be a reversible divider.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Various embodiments of a convertible baked goods container are disclosed herein and described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In general, the convertible baked goods container is a plastic container comprising a base and a removable lid. The base comprises a first base portion adapted to accept the lid over the base, and a second base portion or divider which removably inserts into or onto the first base portion. When the baked goods container is in the “upright” position, the first and second base portions cooperate to form the base of the container to hold one type of baked goods, such as a typical sized cake or pie. When the baked goods container is in the flipped, inverted or in the “upside-down” position, the first and second base portions cooperate to hold different baked goods, such as cupcakes. In one example, the second base portion or divider is adapted to separate from the first base portion and rest upon a ridge or extensions in the lid to form a two level baked goods container which holds two pies, or two levels of smaller cakes (e.g., cupcakes). In another example, the divider stays in the same location but is inverted to provide a different baked good storage surface configuration.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-9 of the drawings, a generally circular convertible baked goods container assembled in accordance with the teachings of a first embodiment of the present invention is generally referred to by the reference numeral 10. The baked goods container 10 generally includes a base panel 12 and a container lid 14 having a top panel 16 and a circumferentially continuous side wall 18 coupled to a perimeter 17 of the top panel 16. The side wall 18 includes a support ridge 19 which, when the container lid 14 is in the “upside-down” configuration of FIG. 9, supports a base panel insert 22. A lid interior 20 is defined by the lid panel 16 and the continuous side wall 18. The container lid 14 has an open bottom opening into the lid interior 20 that is defined at a bottom edge 21 of the continuous side wall 18. The container lid 14 may optionally have a carrying handle 23 for carrying the container 10, as well as an extension 15 for providing a surface upon which the container 10 may be supported when in the “upside-down” configuration of FIG. 9, each of the carrying handle 23 and the extension 15 may be integrally formed with or attached to the top panel 16. The container lid 14 is adapted to be removably seated on the base panel 12 to form a seal sufficient to aid in the preservation of baked goods. As shown best in FIGS. 3A and 8, in this embodiment, the container lid 14 may be temporarily “locked” onto the container base 12 by a pivotable handle 24 operably coupled to the container base 12 and pivotably adapted to temporarily “snap-fit” lock via a tab 26 and notch 28. The handle 24 may alternatively perform a shift, pivot and shift, translation, and/or any other suitable movement to lock the container lid 14 onto the base 12.

Turning to FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4, 5A and 5B, the base panel 12 includes the base panel insert 22 which is removably seated within or on the base panel 12 when in the upright position. Specifically, the base panel 12 includes a generally circular base plate 30 having a perimeter 32, which includes a shoulder 34 and a skirt 36 extending generally downward from the perimeter 32 of the base plate 30. As best shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the base panel 12 includes a plurality of strengthening ribs 40 extending generally perpendicular from a bottom surface of the base panel 12. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the base plate 30, the skirt 36, and the ribs 40, are integrally formed as a single structure, such as by, for example, injection molding or other suitable manufacturing technique. For example, each of the components may be constructed as an integrated one-piece unit from a variety of materials including, for example, plastic (such as polycarbonate, polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, or other suitable plastic), or other non-plastic material such as glass, metal, wood, and/or other materials. It will be appreciated, however, that each of base panel components may be manufactured utilizing additional or fewer components integrally formed, or separately formed and mated to each other.

In the disclosed embodiment, the base panel insert 22 is generally circular in shape and is removably attached to the base panel 12. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3B, the base panel insert 22 may be removably attached to the top surface of the base panel 12 by, for example, being seated within a recess 42 formed in the base plate 30. Additionally, the base panel insert 22 may be removably attached to the bottom surface of the base panel 12 by utilizing any suitable connection, including for example, “snap-fit”, “tab-fit”, “twist-fit”, slot and extension engagement, frictional engagement, or any other suitable attachment configuration. In either case, the base panel insert 22 is sized to rest on the support ridge 19, when the container 10 is in the “upside down” configuration, as will be described below.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate two exemplary base panels 12, having two different handle supports, used in conjunction with the baked goods container 10. In the example illustrated in FIG. 5A, a pair of spaced apart handle supports 50 extend radially outward from the perimeter 32 of the base panel 12. Each of the handle supports 50 are generally arcuate and includes a pair of alignment pins 52 extending generally perpendicular to the surface of the supports 50, and adapted to aid in the seating of the container lid 14 on the base panel 12, as will be described. The alignment pins 52 may extend outward from both the top and bottom surfaces of the handle supports 50. Located on one end of each of the supports 50 is a pivot pin 54 adapted to support a pivotable handle 24 as shown, for example, in FIG. 1. Located on the other end of each of the supports 50 is the notch 28, which as mentioned above, is adapted to secure the tab 26 of the handle 24 (hidden in FIG. 1) via a temporary “snap-fit” lock.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 5B, and shown in greater detail in FIG. 6, a pair of spaced apart handle supports 56 extend radially outward from the perimeter 32 of the base panel 12, similar to FIG. 5A. Each of the handle supports 56 are also generally arcuate and include a pair of alignment pins 52 extending generally perpendicular to the surface of the supports 56. Again, the alignment pins 52 may extend outward from both the top and bottom surfaces of the handle supports 56. Each of the handle supports 56 also includes a pair of spaced apart retaining slots 58, a guide slot 60, and a connecting tab 62. In this example, the tab 62 is a flexible finger formed in each of the supports 56 and is shiftable or bendable between a releasing position (not shown) wherein the tab 62 is generally parallel and co-planar to the corresponding support 56, and a locking position wherein the tab 62 is angled upward relative to the corresponding support 56. The tab 62 in this example is biased toward the locking position and can be physically bent downward to the releasing position.

The length, width, and shape of each of the handle supports 56 are configured to operate in conjunction with a shiftable handle 64 illustrated in FIG. 7A. The handle 64 includes a top handle portion 64A and bottom handle portion 64B which together connect to form the shiftable handle 64. The top handle portion 64A includes a generally crescent shaped top surface 66A having a straight perimeter edge 68A and a generally arcuate perimeter edge 70A. A handle skirt 72A extends generally downward from the perimeter edge 70A. The top handle portion 64A also includes a pair of spaced apart retaining clips 74A, and a connecting notch 78, each of which are sized and positioned on a bottom surface of the top handle portion 64A, such that when the top handle portion 64A is inserted onto the handle support 56, the retaining clips 74A insert through the retaining slots 58, and the connecting notch 78 aligns with the connecting tab 62.

The bottom handle portion 64B includes a generally crescent shaped bottom surface 66B having a straight perimeter edge 68B and a generally arcuate perimeter edge 70B. A handle skirt 72B extends generally upward from the perimeter edge 70B. The bottom handle portion 64B also includes a pair of spaced apart retaining clips 74B, and a guide extension 76, each of which are sized and positioned on a top surface of the bottom handle portion 64B, such that when the bottom handle portion 64B is inserted onto the handle support 56 along with the top handle portion 64A, the retaining clips 74B insert through the retaining slots 58 and interconnect with the retaining clips 74A of the top handle portion 64A, and the guide extension 76 inserts through the guide slot 60. The interconnection between the retaining clips 74A of the top handle portion 64A and the retaining clips 74B of the bottom handle portion 64B cooperate to retain the handle 64 on the handle support 56.

In operation, the shiftable handle 64 is assembled over the handle support 56 such that the handle 64 is shiftable between a locked position (FIG. 7C), wherein the handle is shifted towards the base panel 12, and an unlocked position (FIG. 7B), wherein the handle is shifted away from the base panel 12. It will be appreciated that the retaining clips 74A, 74B and the guide extension 76 are sized such that the assembled handle 64 may shift in the retaining slots 58 and the guide slot 60, respectively, between the two positions. As the handle 64 is shifted towards the locked position, the connecting tab 62 contacts the surface of the connecting notch, shifting the tab 62 from the tab's locking position towards the tab's releasing position. Once the handle 64 is sufficiently shifted towards the handle's locked position, the tab 62 loses contact with the surface of the connecting notch 78 and snaps back to the tab's locking position. The handle 64 is then releasably secured in the handle's locked position. To shift the handle from the locked position to the unlocked postion, the handle must be pulled with sufficient force to cause the surface of the connecting notch 78 to shift the tab 62 toward the releasing position, thereby allowing the handle to be shifted towards the unlocked position.

The handle 64 is described herein as a plurality of separate components assembled to form the handle 64. However, the handle 64 may be manufactured utilizing more than two components, or as a single molded part wherein the top handle portion 64A and the bottom handle portion 64B are integrally formed in a single molding process. Moreover, if the top handle portion 64A and the bottom handle portion 64B are separate components, the attachment device between them may be any suitable attachment device, including any permanent or removable attachment means, such as for example, gluing, welding, mechanical attachment, or other suitable means.

Turning now to FIG. 8, an enlarged view of an exemplary locked baked goods container 10 is illustrated, showing the container lid 14 seated on the base panel 12 with the handle 24 (or handle 64) in the locked position to form a seal sufficient to aid in the preservation of baked goods. Specifically, as shown, extending radially outward from the surface of the side wall 18 of the container lid 14 is a sealing lip 44. The sealing lip 44 is sized to rest on or bear against the shoulder 34 of the base panel 12, to support the container lid 14 on the base panel 12 and to provide a generally air resistant seal between the container lid 14 and the base panel 12. Extending downward and radially outward from a portion of the sealing lip 44 is a sealing extension 46, which is sized and shaped to fit over the handle support 56. The sealing extension 46 has a pair of apertures (not shown) which are positioned to align with and fit over the alignment pins 52. In this manner, the alignment pins 52 and the apertures ensure a properly aligned fit between the container lid 14 and the base panel 12.

When in the locked position as shown in FIG. 8, the handle 24 effectively prevents the container lid 14 from being removed from the base panel 12. Specifically, the surfaces of the handle 24 prevent the sealing extension 46 of the container lid 14 from moving sufficiently high enough to lift off of and clear the alignment pins 52. By shifting the handle 24 to the unlocked position, however, the surfaces of the handle 24 allow the free movement of the sealing extension 46 and the container lid 14 may be removed from the base panel 12, thereby allowing the container 10 to be opened. In this first manner of operation, the container 10 may be utilized to aid in the preservation of a single layer of baked goods, such as a large round cake in the illustrated “upright” position.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, in a second manner of operation, the container 10 is flipped to the “upside down” configuration, wherein the container 10 rests upon the top panel 16 of the container lid 14. Specifically, the container 10 may rest upon the surface of the extension 15. As shown, the base panel insert 22 may be removably separated from the base panel 12 and placed upon the support ridge 19 approximately midway between the base panel 12 and lid top panel 16 to form a plurality of lid interiors 20A and 20B. The container 10 may then be utilized to aid in the preservation of a dual layer of smaller baked goods, such as a plurality of cupcakes, pies, cakes, or other suitable items. Similar to the first manner of operation, the container lid 14 may be removably seated on the base panel 12 with the handle 24, 64 in the locked position to form a seal sufficient to aid in the preservation of baked goods stored within the interiors 20A, 20B. In this operating example, however, the base panel 12 is supported by the container lid 14. Additionally, it will be noted that the base panel 12 is configured and sized such that the base panel is reversible attachable to the container lid 14 in both the first of second operating modes. However, for aesthetic purposes, in the “upside down” configuration, the base panel 12 is shown with the base plate 30 acting as the outer surface.

Turning to FIG. 11 a plurality of containers are illustrated in an exemplary stored configuration. Specifically, as shown a first container lid 14A is stacked and nested within a second container lid 14B. Similarly, a first base panel 12A is stacked and nested within a second base panel 12B. The two containers therefore cooperate to form a combination of containers with a reduced storage profile. It will be appreciated that the containers may be stored in other configurations, such as for example, by stacking one container upon the container lid of another container, or other suitable arrangement.

Continuing now to FIGS. 12-15, a generally rectangular convertible baked goods container assembled in accordance with the teachings of another embodiment of the present invention is generally referred to by the reference numeral 100. The baked goods container 100 generally includes a base panel 112 and a container lid 114 having a top panel 116 and a plurality of lid panels 118 a, 118 b, 118 c, 118 d coupled to a perimeter of the top panel 116. The side walls 118 a, 118 b, 118 c, 118 d include a support ridge 119 which may support a base panel insert (not shown) approximately midway between the lid top panel 116 and the base panel 112, when the container lid 114 is in an “upside down” or inverted configuration. A lid interior 120 is defined by the lid panel 116 and the side walls 118 a, 118 b, 118 c, 118 d. The container lid 114 has an open bottom opening into the lid interior 120 that is defined at a bottom edge 122 of the side walls 118 a, 118 b, 118 c, 188 d. Similar to the round container 10, the container lid 114 is adapted to be removably seated in the base panel 112 to form a seal sufficient to aid in the preservation of baked goods, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 14.

Still another alternative manner of operation is illustrated in FIG. 15. In general, the illustrated baked goods container 100 comprises a first container lid 114A, a second container lid 114B, and a base panel 112. Similar to the base panel 12, the base panel 112 is configured and sized such that the base panel 112 is reversibly attachable to either of the container lids 114A, 114B. Thus, in this manner, the container lids 114A, 114B and the base panel 112 cooperate to form a divided dual level container adapted to hold a number of baked goods, including for instance, cupcakes, brownies, sheet cake, cookies, or other suitable item. The base panel 112 may be adapted to reversibly insert between the lids 114A, 114B to hold the relevant baked goods more securely through appropriate contouring. For example, one surface can be smooth and the opposite surface can be formed with multiple cupcake receptacles.

It will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that each component may be manufactured with a variety of properties and with a variety of materials, utilizing a variety of manufacturing techniques. For example, each component may be manufactured to be transparent, semi-transparent, or opaque. Similarly, each component may be manufactured from a variety of materials, including plastic, multilayer laminates, paperboard, corrugated board, aluminum, and the like, utilizing any combination of manufacturing techniques, including, for example, molding, blow molding, extrusion, or other suitable technique.

It will also be appreciated that although at least two embodiments are described, including a generally circular and rectangular configuration, many alternate configurations developed, including square, triangular, or the like. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the container may be so sized as to accommodate a variety of objects, including any variety and size of baked goods. Finally, it will be understood that the baked good container may be constructed with any number of removable inserts, allowing the interior storage space to be subdivided into any number of smaller divisions. 

1. A baked goods container comprising: a base panel; a container lid having a lid panel with a perimeter and a continuous side wall extending from the perimeter of the lid panel, the lid panel and the continuous side wall bounding a container interior having an opening, the container lid adapted to form a seal and close off the opening when the container lid is removably seated on the base panel; an insert configured to be optionally inserted into the container lid; and a support ridge formed in at least a portion of the side wall of the container lid and adapted to support the insert when the baked goods container is inverted and resting on the container lid, the lid panel and a first portion of the side wall bounding a first interior portion, and the insert and a second portion of the side wall bounding a second interior portion.
 2. The container of claim 1, wherein the base panel comprises a recess formed in the base panel and adapted to removably store the insert.
 3. The container of claim 1, wherein the container lid includes a sealing lip extending radially outward from at least a portion of the continuous side wall, the sealing lip sized to bear against the base panel to provide an air resistant seal between the container lid and the base panel.
 4. The container of claim 1, wherein the base panel includes a plurality of spaced apart handle supports extending radially outward from the base panel.
 5. The container of claim 4, wherein the container lid includes a plurality of spaced apart sealing extensions extending radially outward from the continuous side wall, each of the sealing extensions spaced apart and aligned so as to bear against a corresponding one of the plurality of handle supports.
 6. The container of claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of handle supports includes at least one alignment pin extending generally perpendicular from the handle support.
 7. The container of claim 6, wherein at least one of the plurality of sealing extensions includes at least one aperture, the aperture being configured such that the at least one alignment pin extends into the aperture when the sealing extension bears against the handle support.
 8. The container of claim 5, wherein the container further comprises a locking handle adapted to releasably secure the container lid to the base panel.
 9. The container of claim 8, wherein the locking handle is adapted to releasably secure at least one of the handle supports to at least one of the sealing extensions.
 10. The container of claim 9, wherein at least one of the handle supports includes a pivot point, and wherein the locking handle is pivotable about the pivot point between a first position, wherein the locking handle permits the relative movement of the container lid off of the base panel, and a second position wherein the locking handle restricts the relative movement of the container lid off of the base panel.
 11. The container of claim 9, wherein at least one of the handle supports includes at least one aperture, and wherein the locking handle is shiftable along the aperture between a first position, wherein the locking handle permits the relative movement of the container lid off of the base panel, and a second position wherein the locking handle restricts the relative movement of the container lid off of the base panel.
 12. The container of claim 11, wherein the at least one aperture is a plurality of spaced apart elongated retaining slots, and wherein the locking handle includes a plurality of retaining clips insertable in the plurality of elongated slots such that the locking handle is shiftable between the first and second positions.
 13. The container of claim 12, wherein the at least one of the handle supports includes a guide slot, and wherein the locking handle includes a guide extension insertable in the guide slot, the guide slot and guide extension cooperating to direct the movement between the first and second positions.
 14. The container of claim 13, wherein the at least one of the handle supports includes a flexible tab, and wherein the locking handle includes a notch, the tab adapted to releasably engage the notch of the locking handle upon movement of the locking handle toward the second position.
 15. The container of claim 1, wherein the container lid further comprises a carrying handle integrally formed in the top panel.
 16. A portable food storage and serving container comprising: a container lid having panel with a perimeter, an exterior wall extending from the perimeter of the panel, and an opening, the panel and the exterior wall bounding a container interior, and the exterior wall including a support ridge extending inward along at least portion of the exterior wall, the support ridge spaced away from the panel; and a base having a first base portion and a second base portion, the first base portion releasably attachable to the container lid, the first base portion forming a seal and closing off the opening when the first base portion is attached to the container lid, and the second base portion being storable in the container interior when the container is resting on the base, and the second base portion being supportable by the support ridge when the container is inverted and resting on the lid.
 17. The container of claim 16, wherein the container lid includes a sealing lip extending radially outward from the exterior wall, the sealing lip sized to bear against the first base portion to provide an air resistant seal between the container lid and the base.
 18. The container of claim 16, wherein the first base portion includes a plurality of spaced apart handle supports extending radially outward from the first base portion.
 19. The container of claim 18, wherein the container lid includes a plurality of spaced apart sealing extensions extending radially outward from the exterior wall, each of the sealing extensions adapted and spaced apart so as to bear against a corresponding one of the plurality of handle supports.
 20. The container of claim 19, wherein at least one of the plurality of handle supports includes at least one alignment pin extending generally perpendicular from the handle support, and wherein at least one of the plurality of sealing extensions includes at least one aperture, the at least one aperture being configured such that the at least one alignment pin extends into the aperture when the at least one of the plurality of sealing extension bears against the at least one of the plurality of handle supports.
 21. The container of claim 19, wherein the container further comprises a locking handle adapted to releasably secure the container lid to the base.
 22. The container of claim 21, wherein at least one of the handle supports includes a pivot axis, and wherein the locking handle is pivotable about the pivot axis between a first position, wherein the locking handle permits the relative movement of the container lid off of the base, and a second position wherein the locking handle restricts the relative movement of the container lid off of the base.
 23. The container of claim 21, wherein at least one of the handle supports includes at least one aperture, and wherein the locking handle is shiftable in the aperture between a first position, wherein the locking handle permits the relative movement of the container lid off of the base, and a second position wherein the locking handle restricts the relative movement of the container lid off of the base.
 24. A food storage container comprising: a container base having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface; and a first and a second container lid, each of the first and second container lids having a lid panel with a perimeter and a continuous side wall extending from the perimeter of the lid panel, the lid panel and the continuous side wall bounding a container interior having an opening, the first container lid adapted to form a first seal and close off the opening of the first container lid when the first container lid is removably seated on the first surface of the container base, and the second container lid adapted to form a second seal and close off the opening of the second container lid when the second container lid is removably seated on the second surface of the container base, wherein the container is configurable in a first configuration with one of the first and second container lids seated on one of the first and second surfaces of the container base, and a second configuration with both of the first and second container lids seated on the corresponding first and second surfaces of the container base.
 25. The container of claim 24, wherein each of the first and second container lids includes a sealing lip extending radially outward from the first and second continuous side walls, the sealing lips sized to bear against the container base to provide an air resistant seal between each of the first and second container lids and the container base.
 26. The container of claim 24, wherein the container base includes a plurality of spaced apart handle supports extending radially outward from the container base.
 27. The container of claim 26, wherein each of the first and second container lids includes a plurality of spaced apart sealing extensions extending radially outward from the exterior side walls of each container, each of the sealing extensions adapted and spaced apart so as to bear against a corresponding one of the plurality of handle supports on the container base.
 28. The container of claim 24, wherein the container further comprises a locking handle adapted to releasably secure each of the first and second container lids to the container base. 